Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor laser element, methods of manufacturing the same and semiconductor laser device.
Related Art
As prior art related to splitting up a semiconductor wafer, JP-H10-70335A discloses that a groove extending parallel to a stripe electrode is formed in the lower surface of a substrate, a blade is placed along the groove, and force is exerted on the blade to split the semiconductor wafer.
With a splitting method such as this, the segmentation of the semiconductor wafer commences as a crack originating in the groove formed on the lower surface of the substrate, and this crack proceeds from the lower surface of the substrate toward the upper surface of the semiconductor structure. The semiconductor wafer is then completely separated on the upper surface side of the semiconductor structure. In the complete separation of the semiconductor wafer, the semiconductor structure is sometimes chipped in a direction parallel to the stripe electrode at the portion where the semiconductor wafer is completely separated, so that burrs sometimes are produced. The burrs have such a shape that just one of the ends is linked to the semiconductor structure, and the remaining portion is cut away from the semiconductor structure. If the burrs are of at least a certain length, then when, for example, a semiconductor laser device is produced in which an upper surface side of the semiconductor structure in a semiconductor laser element obtained by dividing a semiconductor wafer faces to a support member, and the semiconductor laser element is fixed via an adhesive member to a metal film provided to the surface of the support member, the burrs may come into contact with the metal film or the adhesive member and may cause a short-circuit. If such short-circuiting occurs, it can lead to lower reliability of the semiconductor laser device.